OPINION

RICHARD MASON: A collection in need of a home

Our state's flagship university has the largest collection of Arkansas geological, archeological, and historical specimens in the world, estimated at 7 million pieces. But don't make plans to visit the University Of Arkansas Museum of Natural History Exhibit Hall, because the majority of these specimens are locked away in a storage facility that is not regularly open or suitable for viewing.

The time has come to build an on-campus exhibit hall that would adequately house the collections.

In the late 1950s and early '60s I was an undergraduate and graduate student at the university. I held several part-time jobs while working on my degrees in geology. When I was a senior and a graduate student, I was the student manager of Brough Commons, the dining hall, a university bookstore student employee, and a student worker at the University Museum ... all at the same time.

When I was in school, the Museum was located on the top floor of Old Main. My job was to monitor the students who wandered in, dust the exhibits, and help move and store the exhibits as they were changed out.

Of all the jobs I held as I worked to pay my way through college, the very best was working at the University Museum. One summer, I worked on a museum dig where Beaver Lake is now located, and my museum work and field work in those years gave me an appreciation of the collection that has never left my mind.

The university collection is huge. The first time I walked into the large storage area on the fourth floor of Old Main, I was overwhelmed by the vast number of absolutely breathtaking items neatly stacked on storage shelves. The back storerooms were adjacent to the displayed items, and there was shelf after shelf of pre-Columbian pottery as well as pioneer items, including those from the Civil War, to more recent finds, all neatly catalogued and stacked on storage shelves.

The display area on the top floor of Old Main was large, but it wasn't even close to being big enough to adequately show the collection.

When I was attending the university, the fourth floor of Old Main held a small percentage of the collection which was available to be viewed. Later, part of the collection that could be viewed was moved to the old Barnhill Fieldhouse, and after a few years, the entire collection was moved to a storage building north of the university.

The collection is crammed into the storage building, some of it on racks and shelves without any visible identification. Schools and other interested folks can view the part of the collection that is not packed away, by appointment only, but most is without any identification or explanation. And not visible.

I know there has been a lot of discussion about building a permanent display center for the collection, but it is past time for discussing the need. It is time for action.

We pride ourselves on having great sport facilities. However, the university is an educational facility. It's not a prep camp for the NBA or any other professional team. I'm all for million-dollar coaches' salaries, adding seats in the end zone, and if the money is there, a domed stadium. But let's match those facilities in the field of education.

If we can spend $158 million on renovating the university's stadium, we should be able to fund an on-campus exhibit hall. I'm not a building contractor, but I think a fraction of that expenditure would build an impressive exhibit hall.

An exhibit hall would be an outstanding educational aid, not only to U of A students, but to countless elementary and high school boys and girls. The experience of visiting such a facility would strengthen the already strong attachment pre-college students have for the university, and it would be a strong recruitment item.

The extensive collection of Arkansas historical specimens could be the backbone of the educational experience the university offers, and the commitment to build a permanent building for the collection would strengthen the emphasis that the university should always have as its primary concern: enhancing the educational experience of its students and the state of Arkansas.

A first step would be for the board of trustees to authorize the university's outstanding architectural department to do a feasibility study with a cost estimate and sketch of the exhibit hall. Make it a contest with an award of $10,000 for the best design, and I will donate or raise the prize money.

I'm sure, when the proposed project is made public, it will receive strong statewide support. In addition, there are a lot of potential donors of historic and geologic items that would consider adding to the university's collection if it were housed in the permanent exhibit hall. It's obvious that someone with a collection of historic maps or pre-Columbian artifacts would be very hesitant to donate them to the university knowing they would be put in storage.

I did a quick check of major colleges around the country and could not find a single one that didn't have some permanent exhibit building to house the historic collections in their state. There are hundreds of museums in numerous colleges across the country (as an example, check out the University Of Alabama Museum Of Natural History). Google it and take a look, and then wonder why we don't have something that will match it.

And let me refer to a good friend and former trustee, Senator David Pryor. Back when David was serving his last year as a board member, we worked closely together to create a plan to present an exhibit hall proposal to the board of trustees. Because of a variety of reasons we were not able to present a proposal to the board while David was still on it. However, I encourage you to reach out to David and take his counsel in this matter.

The on-campus exhibit hall is a sorely needed addition to our wonderful university, and I hope you share mine and David's enthusiasm for building it.

Email Richard Mason at richard@gibraltarenergy.com.

Editorial on 11/17/2019

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